Furnace.



Patented Aug. I9, 1902.

J. BEAGAN.

FURNACE. I (Application filed May 29, 1902-.)

2 Sheets-Shoot I.

(Nd Modal.)

'F'IGI INVENTOI? A TTUHNEY.

1M: warps rrrzns co. HOTO-unit)" WASHINGTON, D. c,

Patented Aug. l9, I902.

J. REAGAN.

FURNACE. (Application and m so, 1902.

2 Shuts-Shut 2.

(No Model.)

WIT/ Essa.-

A41 4110mm.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

JAMES REAGAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FU R'NAC E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '707,158, dated August 19, 1902.

Application filed May 29,1902. $erial No- 109A29. (No model.)

To an whom it may concern:

Be it known that I," JAMES REAGAN,a citizen of the United $tates of America, and a resident of the city and county 'of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania,-have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Furnaces,

of which the following is a specification.

My-invention relates to that class of furnaces in which air, steam, gases, or liquids, or combinations of same, are introduced into the combustion-chamber above the bed of fuel.

The object of my invention is to so protect the devices by which this is done as to remove. all danger of their becoming burned out or destroyed. Y

A further object of my invention is to, su

perheat and dissipate steam at its point of I delivery, so that it will reach the combustionchamber in spray-like form and at'the same time carry with it a current of air drawn from the ash-pit of the furnace or from the external atmosphere. e a

By means of my invention I am enabled to introduce into the combustion-space a mixture of superheated steam and highly-heated air, which becomes thoroughly blended and incorporated with the gases therein, thereby promoting the combustion of the fuel and causing a corresponding reduction ofsmoke in the escaping products of combustion. To accomplish this object, I employ hollow blocks independent of the walls, sheets, linings, or grates and adapted i to be removed or replaced independently or together, said blocks being similar to thosewhich form the subject of a patentfor which I have made application.

Referring to 'drawings,Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of a furnace embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan view of parts of the furnace. 1 Fig. 3 represents a vertical transverse sectional view of said furnace; Figs. 4, 5, and 6 represent, respectively, a cross-section of the steam-superheating and-steam and air delivering devices, a vertical section of a block the furnace. t each side of the ash-pit is a support 0, which is separated from the fur- Around the furnace are arranged sections F, each ofwhich reinovably rests upon the longitudinal plate 0 of the support 0. Said sections are made of suitable material, and, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, have each a groove f and a tongue f, which are adapted to loosely match with the tongues and grooves of adjacent sections. Each section is provided with a preferably vertical passage f {which gradually tapers from its lower end to itsupper end, at which-latter point it communicates with an opening f which communicates with a chamber f of somewhat larger diameter. This chamber f is of truncated conical shape in its inner .portion f and its outer portion f is of cylindrical form. Each section may have more than one such passage, opening, and chamber. At the upper end of each section is a groove f inwhich a steam-pipe, hereinafter to be described, may rest. The face of each section is provided with corrugations or ribs f of the usual kind. At the lower end'of eac'h section is a rabbet f forming a shoulder,which, as shown in Fig. 3, bears upon the upper edge of the plate 0 in order to support the section. I

In Figs. 1 and 2 the sections are shown in p-lace,with the tongues andgrooves f f united. It will be observed that by this arrangement each section may separatelyand-without difficulty be removed from the *furnace when repairs are needed.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 is disclosed a steamsuperheater G, resting within the chamber f of one of the sections'F, its face lying flush with the inner surface of the section. This This space, as will IOO be understood, communicates with the vertical passage f of a section F. Leading into the superheater is a steam-supply pipe H, that is screwed into said superheater. Into the front end of the superheater is set a thick plate g preferably of steel, having perforations which are disposed in angular relation to the axis of said superheater, the object being to give to jets of steam issuing from said perforations a direction which will cause them to intercept currents of air flowing through the passage 9, and thereby produce a thorough commingling of the jets of superheated steam and air and a complete difiusion of these elements into the inflammable gases of the combustion-chamber. The space g behind the plate g constitutes a superheating-chamber, in which moist steam flowing through the pipe Il may be detained for such length of time as will cause it to assume the superheated form.

When the several sections are in place in the furnace, the grooves f at the tops thereof will be in alinement,and thereby constitute a long narrow groove for receiving the steampipe I, from which the several pipes H of the superheater G branch.

As shown in Fig. 2, there are three pipes I, two of which extend along the sides of the furnace and one of which extends across the front of the furnace abovethe feed-doors thereof. These pipes are supplied from a common supply-pipe K, that is provided with a regulating-valve 7c.

The operation is as follows: The fire is started upon the grate in the usual manner, the air for initial combustion flowing in through the ash-pit doors, through the ashpit and grate, into the combustion space above the grate. When steam is allowed to flow through the pipe K into the main branch pipes I and thence through the pipes H, it will pass through the superheating-chambers g and the perforations 9 into the combustion-space. hen the combustion-space has reached a sufficiently high temperature, the steam in the chambers will become superheated, thus furnishing an adequate supply of superheated steam to the combustible gases of the combustion-space. The force of the jets of superheated steam issuing from the perforations g will ordinarily be sufficient to inductively accelerate the flow of the current of air passing from the vertical channels f into the combustion-space. It may, however, sometimes be desirable to still further accelerate this operation. In such a case I provide the superheating -chamber with lateral perforations y, Fig. 4, through which jets of steam may escape into the airpassage g. It will be observed that these channels are so disposed as to discharge the jets of superheated steam in adirection which is approximately the same as that of the air flowing through the passages g. The air passing to the combustion-space after being heated in the ash-pit is still further heated by the bodies of the sections F, which in course of time reach a very high temperature. As shown in Fig. 3, it is preferable to so arrange the plate 9 that the diagonally-disposed perforations g therein will discharge the steamjets downward toward the bed of fuel, since by this action of the jets a more complete agitation and diffusion of the contents of the combustion-space is produced.

It is well known that perfect combustion is dependent upon three thingsfirst, a sufficient supply of oxygen; second, asufiiciently high temperature, and, third, a complete diffusion of all the combustible elements. It is my purpose to establish and maintain these conditions. Thelforce with which the steam jets and the currents of air enter the combustion-space of my furnace is sufficient to cause a practically perfect blending of the oxygen-bearing element (air) with the inflammable products of the distillation that has taken place within the body of solid fuel and a rapid combustion of said products. The superheated steam, unlike moist steam, does not lower the temperature in any part of the combustion-chamber below the ignition-point. It is evident that this arrangement may be used for the purpose of supplying not merely air, but any other gases or liquids which it is proposed to use in the furnace by suitable arrangements for delivering said gases or liquids into the hollow passages of the section F or into the pipes carrying the superheated steam at such points as shall insure their being properly mixed with and carried into the combustion-space by the steam.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. A combination of a hollow block having a passage therethrough for the delivery of air, of a steam-superb eating chamber situated at the discharge end of said passage and having a perforated wall of somewhat'extended area lying in substantially the same plane as the face of said hollow block substantially as described.

2. A hollow block having in one of its faces a cavity communicating with the passage in said block, of a steam-pipe leading to said cavity, and a superheating-chamber communicating with said pipe and lying within said cavity, said superheating-chamber having a perforated face lying substantially flush with the face of the block and being so disposed within said cavity as to leave a passage for air around it, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a series of adjacent hollow blocks each of which has a groove in its upper end, of a steam-pipe lying within said groove, a series of steam-superheating chambers situated within the bodies of the bricks and communicating with said steampipe, and airdischarge openings communicating with the passages in said blocks, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a furnace having a combustion-space provided with a series of adjacent hollowblocks in whichare disposed air heating and feeding passages, of a series of perforated superheaters situated in the discharge ends of said passages and being exposed to the heat of the combustion-space.

5. The combination Withafurnaee'having a combustion-space provided with a series of adjacent hollow blocks in which are disposed air heating and feeding passages, of a series of perforated superheaters situated in the dissages and superheaters being disposed at the thereof and'at the sides stantially as described;

Signed by me at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- Vania, this 26th day of" May, A. D. 1902.

JAMES REAGAN.

: Witnesses:

ROBERT OSBORNE, J r., RICHARD MoELRoY.

charge ends of saidpassages, the said pasfront of the furnace above the feed-doors" of the furnace, sub- 

